Five Best Hip-Hop Albums Released in First Quarter of 2015

2014 was an off year for rap music, to put it kindly. While a number of quality projects were released last year, there were few monumental albums that put fans on the edge of their seats, waiting in anticipation for their debut. 2015 has had no such issues, with a new high-profile album from lauded rappers being unleashed almost every other week.

Beginning with Rae Sremmurd's SremmLife album in January and ending with Ludacris' Ludaversal dropping in March, we've been blessed with an abundance of major releases that have gotten the people more excited about the genre in comparison to the indifference that was prevalent over the past few years.

And with good reason, being that almost every album that has touched down since Jan. 1 has been well-received and set the stage for what is sure to be an eventful year for hip-hop. Everyone from mainstream darlings like Big Sean and G-Unit to underground mainstays such as Action Bronson and Earl Sweatshirt have contributed to this modern renaissance of great rap music and changed the narrative of "hip-hop is dead."

This is a positive revival that bodes well for the state of the culture. And with the first quarter of the music industry calender (Jan. 1 to March 31) in the rearview mirror, the brain trust at The Boombox was prompted to ask: what has been the best release of the year thus far?

After mulling over that question for the past week and listening to all of the commercial rap albums that have blessed our ears over the past three months, we've come to our conclusion. Here are our choices for the five best hip-hop albums released in the first quarter of 2015. Did your favorite LP make the cut? Let us know in the comments below.